Carmelo hopes to be appreciated in return to New York

It's become a common tradition for fans to welcome former players with thunderous boos when gracing the jersey of a new team.

Carmelo Anthony hopes things will be a little different for him when the Oklahoma City Thunder visit the New York Knicks Saturday night for the first time since his departure.

"It's not like I was there for a year or two seasons," Anthony said, according to ESPN's Royce Young. "I mean, I spent a lot of time there, almost seven years. It was great times, it was bad times, but regardless, I always stuck with it, I always remained professional, I always came and did my job whether people liked me or not, so hopefully they recognize that."

Anthony is a native New Yorker, playing college basketball at Syracuse University and his last seven seasons in the NBA with the Knicks.

Regardless of his jersey color, the city remains close to his heart.

"How could I not miss New York?" Anthony said. "I became entrenched into not just the Knicks, but the city as a whole. Those are my roots, the people there, I became one of them. I've embraced New York City, I embraced the culture, embraced everything about the city."

Anthony was traded to the Thunder this past September for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a second-round pick. Anthony is averaging 18 points per game on 41 percent shooting - both are career lows.